Why Every Woman Should Have Big Heavy Curves
Every woman needs to work on getting big heavy curves.
Trust me, once you have big heavy curves, you will have more confidence than you ever imagined possible. (more…)
Is “Obese” a Medical Term or a Fat Shaming Slur?
The latest in the fact-denying movement is that “obesity” is an insulting word and should not even be used by doctors as a medical term.
Does Yo-Yo Dieting Damage a Woman’s Heart Health?
What yo-yo dieting may do to a woman’s heart health should be incentive to stop this “weight cycling” and fight very hard to permanently maintain a healthy body weight.
Yo-yo dieting, also called weight cycling, stresses the body, says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore; Diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
“Yo-yo dieting can cause rapid changes in the body (physically and metabolically) which can affect the body,” explains Dr. Besser. This includes the heart.
“It is much better to be consistent with what you do — eating behaviors, exercise — than do rapid shifting.”
Nevertheless, nobody really knows precisely what the mechanism is that yo-yo dieting negatively impacts heart health.
However, researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center presented some compelling findings at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2019 Scientific Sessions in Houston, TX.
And it’s these findings that will give chronic yo-yo dieters some serious pause.
The team found that women who had a history of weight cycling had more cardiovascular risk factors than did women who had maintained a stable body weight over time.
Yo-Yo Dieting Defined
Like a yo-yo, the person’s weight goes down and up, down and up – weight loss followed by weight gain – over and over, spanning years. Even a fluctuation of only 10 pounds counts as yo-yo dieting.
What the Researchers Used and Found
The American Heart Association has a Life’s Simple 7: a group of risk factors and health behaviors that yield a picture of heart health. This includes body mass index, total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, exercise and smoking.
The study involved 485 women with an average age of 37 who’d had at least one episode of yo-yo dieting.
The team found that the more episodes of yo-yo dieting, the worse the women performed on Life’s Simple 7.
Thus, a direct correlation was revealed between frequency of weight cycling and poor Life’s Simple 7 results.
Association Doesn’t Establish Cause and Effect
The researchers point out that this finding does not reveal cause and effect; only an association.
However, there are theories for the association.
For instance, weight loss could result in some lost muscle tissue. But when the weight is regained, all of the regain is fat. This means more fat despite the same body weight. And of course, excess fat is not good for the body.
A second explanation that’s posed by the researchers is that blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides increase with each weight regain. But they don’t offer an explanation for why this is.
A third explanation – not posed by the researchers but nevertheless worth thinking about – is that women who are prone to yo-yo dieting may also be prone to other behaviors or habits that are bad for heart health – or at least associated with cardiovascular risk factors – such as excessive sleep, inability to manage mental stress, high alcohol consumption and poor diet.
Older Bodies
Dr. Besser points out that “the older body doesn’t respond as well to rapid changes as the younger body does.”
If you’re middle aged or older, this is all the more reason to end your yo-yo dieting once and for all.
Tips for Ending Yo-Yo Dieting
The following will help raise your resting metabolism, give you more energy and discourage junk food binges.
• Engage in both cardio and strength training.
• For strength training, focus on big moves like squats, leg and chest presses, overhead presses and pulling motions. Minimize time spent on “tiny” exercises such as dumbbell kickbacks, dumbbell side raises and biceps curls.
• If you use a treadmill, here are 10 reasons not to hold on.
• Employ HIIT: high intensity interval training
• Don’t try to avoid your favorite foods. This is demoralizing. Instead, practice PORTION CONTROL.
• Snack on heart healthy foods such as nuts, seeds, fruits and green salads.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Top image: Shutterstock/Cronislaw
Source: cuimc.columbia.edu/news/yo-yo-dieting-linked-heart-disease-risk-women
Napping vs. Drugs for Lowering High Blood Pressure
If you had to choose between napping or medications for lowering your high blood pressure, do you know which would be more effective?
Hopefully, you know that napping and pharmaceuticals such as beta blockers aren’t your only options. (more…)
Ask Your Doctor if Obesity Is Right for You
If obese people can be fit and healthy, then why don’t doctors ever advise their normal-weight patients to pack on some pounds? (more…)
Why NEAT Won’t Fix the Dad Bod Problem
Men with buff physiques who preach that NEAT can help dad bods transform their body are feeding you nonsense.
You’ve been doing NEAT since birth yet still have a dad bod. (more…)
Must You Really Avoid Certain Foods to Lose Weight?
How many times have you seen a headline like “Which Foods to Avoid to Lose Weight”?
From a purely hormonal and physiological aspect, you do NOT need to avoid any particular food or type of food in order to trigger weight loss. (more…)
10 Things Obese People Blame Their Pain on Other than Weight
Many obese women in the “healthy at any size” camp claim to be healthy and feel great.
But is this actually an issue of being habituated to aches and pains and not really knowing what feeling great truly feels like? (more…)
Someone’s Having a Stroke: First 3 Things You Should Do
Do you know the first three things you should do if someone’s having a stroke?
Even a middle aged person can be stricken by this very common condition. Time is truly of the essence when it comes to a stroke.
The most common type of stroke is the ischemic type, in which a blood clot in the brain cuts off blood flow – and therefore oxygen – to the area of the brain that the blood vessel feeds.
The less common type is the hemorrhagic, in which a blood vessel ruptures, spilling blood onto brain tissue.
Both are life-threatening situations, and anyone nearby needs to act super-fast.
Time Is Brain
For some, time is money. But for all who have a stroke, time is brain. Fast thinking and fast action are crucial to prevent death and brain damage.
First Three Things to Do when Someone Is Having a Stroke
“The main thing is to immediately contact 9-1-1 and get the patient to the hospital,” says Sendhil Krishnan, MD, a board-certified adult general cardiologist with advanced subspecialty training in interventional cardiology.
“In the interim one should continue to monitor their neurological response and continuously check for a pulse (start CPR if necessary.)”
So that’s 1) call 9-1-1, 2) observe the patient, and 3) continuously check for a pulse.
“Patients should not be given any medications including aspirin,” says Dr. Krishnan.
“The reason for this is the stroke may be due to a bleed (hemorrhagic) or ischemic (due to clot). Giving blood thinners may only worsen the bleed and their brain.”
Source: vecteezy.com
Speaking of blood thinners worsening a bleed – another condition can mimic a stroke for which blood thinners can make worse: a delayed subdural hematoma from recent head trauma that the patient may have forgotten about, such as hitting their head on the door frame of a car when getting out.
This seemingly minor head trauma can cause a delayed brain bleed in a person over 65. The symptoms are nearly identical to that of an ischemic stroke.
Recognizing an Ischemic Stroke
Symptoms are sudden-onset.
• Any trouble with vision
• Paralysis of one side of the face or body/limb
• One side of the face drooping
• Weakness on one side of the body
• Slurred speech or difficulty talking
• Confusion or altered mental status
• Not being able to communicate even though seemingly conscious
• Stroke is even more suspicious if more than one of these symptoms are occurring or if there’s an accompanying bad headache.
Age is a risk factor, but In 2009, 34% of people hospitalized for stroke were younger than 65. Source: cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm. Freepik.com
“FAST” is the easy-to-remember acronym for stroke.
Signs of a Hemorrhagic Stroke
• Sudden “thunderclap” headache that takes a person’s breath away
• Patient reports they’ve never had a headache so agonizing.
• Nausea, vomiting may precede the headache.
• Vision problems
• One pupil more dilated than the other
“If the patient is diabetic and is profoundly hypoglycemic, they may act and behave as if having a stroke,” says Dr. Krishnan.
“In this case I would recommend giving them something sweet or sugary to raise their blood glucose levels.
“I would recommend things that can be absorbed through their cheeks (i.e., a lollipop or sugar tabs).”
This way the patient won’t have to chew and swallow, which – if they are having a stroke – could lead to choking and aspiration, says Dr. Krishnan.
Diabetes is a risk factor for stroke, so just because a person is diabetic doesn’t mean that you should automatically assume that the sudden-onset symptoms are from low blood sugar.
Even an ER doctor can’t officially confirm diagnosis of a stroke without a brain scan. Thus, the layperson family member or friend absolutely should not try to diagnose the absence of a stroke just because the patient has had similar symptoms in the past from diabetes or is “too young to have a stroke.”
Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke Risk Factors
• Age 65+
• Atrial fibrillation
• Carotid artery disease or peripheral artery disease
• Chronic/congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• Diet high in sodium or bad fats (saturated, trans)
• Family history of stroke or cerebral aneurysm
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• Previous diagnosis of a cerebral (brain) aneurysm
• Previous heart attack
• Previous transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
Time lost is brain lost when it comes to a stroke. Seconds, not minutes, count.
Dr. Krishnan is with Pacific Heart & Vascular, where you can view his videos on heart disease and healthy living. He has numerous publications and often speaks at local and regional events.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/LightField Studios
How to Tell Your Neck Pain Might Be a Heart Problem Emergency
Heart problems can cause neck pain.
But so many benign conditions can cause neck pain as well, such as TMJ disorder and a pinched nerve. (more…)
